September 17, 2009

Informal non-AFL prospect AFL created

With Hawaii Winter Baseball no longer an option to send young Minor Leaguers this fall and a proposed “Junior Arizona Fall League” likely a year away, a group of farm directors took matters into their hands to provide a good development opportunity for their players. Eight teams with facilities located largely in the West Valley of Phoenix have come together to form an unofficial co-op league to give some of their players an additional chance to compete. It’s so informal, it doesn’t really have an accepted name, with some calling it the “Advanced Instructional League,” others calling it the “Arizona Parallel League.” … In general, here’s how it works. Games will take place in four complexes where instructional league play was already occurring: Surprise, Peoria and the two new facilities in Glendale and Goodyear. In each case, two teams share the complex and will feed players into a shared team. In Surprise, the Royals and Rangers are partners; in Peoria, it’s the Padres and Mariners; Cincinnati and Cleveland share the Goodyear team, with the Dodgers and White Sox over in Glendale. Each organization will provide 10 players each to the roster, which can be fluid and will likely change frequently. …